Nor do I endorse careless adoption of vegetarian or vegan diets for their name’s sake. A vegan who consumes no animal products can be just as unhealthy living on inappropriately selected plant foods as an omnivore who dines heavily on burgers and chicken nuggets. A vegan diet laden with refined grains like white rice and bread; juices and sweetened drinks; cookies, chips and crackers; and dairy-free ice cream is hardly a healthful way to eat. Current dietary guidelines from responsible, well-informed sources already recommend that, for health’s sake, we should all adopt a plant-based diet rich in foods that originate in the ground. These can be “fleshed out” with low-fat protein sources from animals or combinations of beans and grains. However, here too, careless food and beverage selections can result in an unhealthful plant-based diet.

A huge part of veganism involves cutting out all animal products from your diet, but the key word here is "part." I think the reason why most people shy away from a vegan lifestyle is because it is just that: a lifestyle. By committing to vegan culture, you're committing to a strict set of guidelines that not only affect what goes into your body, but the clothes and makeup you wear, and even how you decorate your house. It's part food, all ethics, and it's totally understandable why it can be intimidating to outsiders looking in. As demanding as it seems, abiding by the rules of veganism can offer you a ton of health benefits, as well as do some good for our planet. Going plant-based is a fantastic start, but not eating animals and actively trying to save them in all aspects of your life are two very different things.

Eliminating meat from a terrible diet doesn’t really make it any healthier, according to a study released today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. In fact, the study found that participants whose mostly-plant-based diets (think vegetarian or vegan) included a lot of processed foods, such as sugary beverages and French fries, were more likely to develop heart disease or die during the study period than people who avoided processed food—even if that meant eating a little meat. Previous studies have found that people who adhere to vegetarian or vegan diets have better cardiovascular health. President Bill Clinton, who was once famous for jogs that detoured through McDonalds, went vegan to cope with heart disease. But those studies tend to lump all plant-based diets together into one group. The real world is a little more complicated.

Reducetarian, flexitarian, vegetarian ― there’s a diet out there for everyone. That’s why it’s more important than ever to make sure we get it all straight. One diet (or lifestyle) that’s been gaining in popularity among nutritionists, celebrities and millennials is the whole foods plant-based diet. The diet mostly appeals to anyone who’s looking to live a healthier lifestyle, but its smaller environmental footprint makes it particularly appealing to millennials. If you’ve heard people talking about a whole foods plant-based diet, you may have thought this was basically just another word for veganism, but you’d be wrong. Really wrong. And we’re going to explain why.

In essence, veganism is a way of living which 'seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose', according to the Vegan Society. A vegan diet is commonly known as a plant-based diet, comprising of all kids of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, seeds, beans and pulses. However, it excludes all dairy products (for example cheese and milk), eggs, or any other animal product – even honey, as it is is argued to be harvested by the exploitation of bees.

Being vegan is more about a person’s complete lifestyle. Vegans don’t eat anything having to do with animals — meat, dairy, fish, eggs and even honey. They typically eat vegetables and fruits, nuts, grains and seeds. Both groups may need to supplement their diets with vitamins. Vegans don’t use household items or clothes made from animals, or items tested on animals. Vegans generally feel that animals aren’t here for us to use, so leather and fur products are out.